By Glenn Meyers, Planetsave
Regardless of location, California state customers are soon expected to have more net metering equal access for rooftop solar.
Assembly bill 2339 has passed the State Assembly Utilities & Commerce Committee by a 10-2 vote and now awaits final ratification from the Assembly floor. Essentially, this measure aims to even out the net metering policies across areas which are being serviced by investor-owned utilities and municipal utilities alike.
Prior to this legislative update, solar access in California was based on location and what particular utility was involved.
This bill aims to make rooftop solar systems equally available in all utilities across the state regardless of location. The bill aims to use consistent methodology to calculate caps on net metering in municipal utility territories and to calculate caps by the investor-owned utilities, to create a unified standard.
“At its core, this is a consumer protection bill,” said Assembly member Jacqui Irwin, the bill’s author. “Everyone in California should have equal access to solar energy regardless of what city they live in.” The bill was co-authored by Evan Low.
Under AB 2339, some 40 municipal utility-served districts will be able to offer net metering under far more favorable rules. The bill is regarded as a significant continuation to solar progress in the state. In January, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to protect net metering for consumers living in investor-owned utility territories around central, coastal and southern California.
In a statement, Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CalSEIA), said, “Protecting net metering for all consumers is key to tapping into California’s abundant and clean solar energy, creating jobs, and saving consumers money.”
Source: http://planetsave.com/2016/04/15/net-metering-equal-access-bill-2339-passes-california-committee/